Janet Kay

Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a rehearsal studio by Tony "Gad" Robinson, the keyboardist from Aswad, who recommended Kay to Alton Ellis. The Jamaican-born Ellis, a successful rocksteady vocalist, had relocated permanently to London, where he continued to be involved with reggae music and was looking for a female vocalist to record a reggae cover of Minnie Riperton's song "Lovin' You".{{cite news|first=Kay|last=Atwal|url=http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/janet_kay_talks_about_silly_games_1_2232840|title=Janet Kay Talks About Silly Games|work=Newham Recorder|date=12 June 2013|accessdate=30 July 2013}}

In 1978 Kay recorded "I Do Love You" and "That's What Friends Are For". The single "Silly Games", written and produced by Dennis Bovell, was released in 1979 and became a hit across Europe, reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|page=297|isbn=1-904994-10-5}} The chart success of "Silly Games" led to Kay appearing on Top of the Pops, then the BBC's flagship music programme. She played the character Angel in the UK sitcom No Problem!, created by the Black Theatre Co-operative (now NitroBeat) and broadcast on Channel 4 (1983–85). While on the programme, she enjoyed a further club hit with "Eternally Grateful" in 1984, which also reached the UK top 100.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17714/janet-kay/|title=JANET KAY {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=18 February 2020}}

Kay has recorded, and co-produced her seventh album for Sony Music Japan. It was released on 18 June 2003, and is entitled Lovin' You … More. The popularity of the song "Lovin' You" in Japan is so strong that she was asked to record it again for this album (for the third time). That version was produced by Omar.

"Silly Games" first hit the UK charts in 1979, and appeared again in 1990 as a re-recording, billed as by Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay, which reached No. 22. A remix version of Kay's original recording spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 62.

Kay is credited as producer on "Missing You", recorded by Aswad.

She was a founding member of BiBi Crew, Britain's first theatre troupe made up entirely of Black women.{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Black British Women's Theatre|chapter=Theatre of Black Women|date=2020|chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51459-4_2|work=Black British Women's Theatre: Intersectionality, Archives, Aesthetics|pages=23–84|editor-last=Abram|editor-first=Nicola|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-51459-4_2|isbn=978-3-030-51459-4|s2cid=226651462|access-date=28 October 2020}}

Kay was included on the 2003 list of "100 Great Black Britons".

In November 2022, "Silly Games" was named the runner up in a list of the 70 best number two singles, compiled by UK newspaper The Guardian to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UK Singles Chart.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-17 |title=The 70 greatest No 2 singles – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/nov/17/the-70-greatest-no-2-singles-ranked |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}

Kay was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to music.{{London Gazette|issue=63918|supp=y|page=N17|date=31 December 2022}}

• Capricorn Woman (1982, Arawak)
• So Amazing (1988, Body Music)
• Sweet Surrender (1989, Body Music)
• Lovin' You (1991, Sony Music Japan)
• Love You Always (1993, Sony Music Japan)
• For the Love of You (1994, Sony Music Japan)
• Making History (1998, Sony Music Japan)
• Through the Years (1999, Sony Music Japan)
• Now & Then (2001, Sony Music Japan)
• Lovin' You ... More (2003, Sony Music Japan)
• Idol Kay (2012, Universal Music Japan)
• Dramatic Lovers (2012, Sony Music Japan)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.janetkay.com Official website]
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000209746}}
• {{Discogs artist}}
• [https://www.myspace.com/janetkaymusic Janet Kay's Myspace]
• [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/International/Arch/SR/JanetKay/index.html Sony Music Japan's Janet Kay Page (Japanese)]

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Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Black British women singers

Category:20th-century English women singers

Category:21st-century Black British women singers

Category:21st-century English women singers

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Brent

Category:English people of Jamaican descent

Category:English reggae musicians

Category:Lovers rock musicians

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:British reggae singers